Harold Hardman

Harold Payne Hardman (4 April 1882 – 9 June 1965) was an English football player and chairman.[1]

Harold Hardman
Personal information
Full name Harold Payne Hardman
Date of birth (1882-04-04)4 April 1882
Place of birth Kirkmanshulme, Manchester,
Lancashire, England
Date of death 9 June 1965(1965-06-09) (aged 83)
Place of death Sale, Cheshire, England
Position(s) Outside forward
Youth career
Worsley Wanderers
Chorlton-cum-Hardy
South Shore Choristers
Northern Nomads
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1900–1903 Blackpool 73 (10)
1903–1908 Everton 130 (25)
1908–1909 Manchester United 4 (0)
1909–1910 Bradford City 20 (2)
1910–1913 Stoke 54 (10)
1913–? Manchester United 0 (0)
International career
1905–1908 England 4 (1)
1906–1908 England 7 (3)
1908 Great Britain 3 (0)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Great Britain
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1908 London Team competition
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Football career

Born in Kirkmanshulme, Manchester, Hardman was discovered by Blackpool as a schoolboy and thrown into the first team during their season in exile from the Football League in 1899–1900. He made his League debut on 8 September 1900, in a home draw against Gainsborough Trinity, the first competitive game played at Blackpool's Bloomfield Road ground. He became almost an ever-present for the club over the next three years.

An outside-left, Hardman had the ability to switch flanks and sometimes played on the right wing. He possessed speed and a knack for trickery, and although not a regular goalscorer himself, he provided the final pass for many of the goals scored by Bob Birkett and Jack Parkinson. Blackpool, however, as a whole, were a team struggling in the Second Division, and they found it too difficult to hold on to him.

In 1903, he signed for Everton for a fee of £100.[2] He played for the Toffees in the 1906 and 1907 FA Cup Finals before joining Manchester United in 1908. Hardman later played for Bradford City, during their first two seasons in Division One, and Stoke City.

International career

Hardman made four appearances for the full England team, all while with Everton, between 1905 and 1908, scoring once in a 1–0 win over Ireland on 16 February 1907. He also earned 7 caps for England amateurs, netting three goals, including two in an 8–1 win over the Netherlands.[3]

He was also a member of the gold medal-winning British team at the 1908 Summer Olympics, starting in all three games including the final where they beat Denmark 2–0.[4]

Later years and death

After his playing days ended, he became a well-known administrator and, later, director of Manchester United. He became chairman of the club in 1951 after the death of James W. Gibson, and was at the helm at the time of the Munich air disaster on 6 February 1958, which claimed the lives of 23 people, including eight players, three non-playing staff, and ended the careers of two other players due to injury. He oversaw United's three league title glories of the 1950s as well as their early foray into the European Cup from 1956 to 1958. Hardman also saw Manchester United win the FA Cup in 1963 and another league championship in 1964–65, before his death in June 1965 at the age of 83. He was succeeded as chairman by Louis Edwards.

Outside football

In 1908, Hardman became a solicitor in Manchester.

Career statistics

Club

Source:[5]

Club Season League FA Cup Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Blackpool 1900–01 Second Division 30221323
1901–02 Second Division 14230172
1902–03 Second Division 29610276
Total 7310617911
Everton 1903–04 First Division 26500265
1904–05 First Division 32861409
1905–06 First Division 31662378
1906–07 First Division 19371264
1907–08 First Division 22370293
Total 1302526415629
Manchester United 1908–09 First Division 400040
Bradford City 1908–09 First Division 12221143
1909–10 First Division 800080
Total 20221223
Stoke 1910–11 Birmingham & District League / Southern League Division Two 830083
1911–12 Southern League Division One 27310283
1912–13 Southern League Division One 19400194
Total 5410105510
Career total 28147356!31653

International

Source:[6]

National teamYearAppsGoals
England 190510
190721
190810
Total41

References
  1. "Harold Hardman". Olympedia. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  2. Calley, Roy (1992). Blackpool: A Complete Record 1887–1992. Breedon Books Sport. p. 93. ISBN 978-1-873626-07-8.
  3. "England Matches - The Amateurs 1906-1939". englandfootballonline.com. 28 February 2022. Archived from the original on 28 March 2022. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  4. Murray, Scott (20 July 2012). "The Joy of Six: Olympic football tournament stories". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media Group. Archived from the original on 16 October 2013. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
  5. Harold Hardman at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
  6. Hardman, Harold at National-Football-Teams.com
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